---
title: MonetDB
sidebarTitle: MonetDB
---

This is the implementation of the MonetDB data handler for MindsDB.

[MonetDB](https://www.monetdb.org/) is an open-source column-oriented relational database management system originally developed at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in the Netherlands. It is designed to provide high performance on complex queries against large databases, such as combining tables with hundreds of columns and millions of rows.

## Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

1. Install MindsDB [locally via Docker](https://docs.mindsdb.com/setup/self-hosted/docker) or use [MindsDB Cloud](https://cloud.mindsdb.com/).
2. To connect MonetDB to MindsDB, install the required dependencies following [this instruction](/setup/self-hosted/docker#install-dependencies).
3. Install or ensure access to MonetDB.

## Implementation

This handler is implemented using `pymonetdb`, a Python library that allows you to use Python code to run SQL commands on the MonetDB database.

The required arguments to establish a connection are as follows:

* `user` is the username associated with the database.
* `password` is the password to authenticate your access.
* `host` is the host name or IP address.
* `port` is the port through which TCP/IP connection is to be made.
* `database` is the database name to be connected.
* `schema_name` is the schema name to get tables. It is optional and defaults to the current schema if not provided.

## Usage

In order to make use of this handler and connect to the MonetDB database in MindsDB, the following syntax can be used:

```sql
CREATE DATABASE monetdb_datasource
WITH
    engine = 'monetdb',
    parameters = {
        "user": "monetdb",
        "password": "monetdb",
        "host": "127.0.0.1",
        "port": 50000,
        "schema_name": "sys",
        "database": "demo"
    };
```

You can use this established connection to query your table as follows:

```sql
SELECT *
FROM monetdb_datasource.demo;
```
